You will hear each conversation TWICE.
听录音，回答问题
—He____be playing basketball in the gym, but I'm not sure.
At Beaver Meadows Ranch on Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, there is a long list of outdoor winter activities for the entire family. Take a winter vacation there.
Ice Fishing
For $10 a day, visitors can try their hand at ice fishing. Ice fishing is available from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. You will need to bring your own ice fishing equipment because it cannot be rented. You will need to have your fishing license too. For more about it, call 800-462-5870.
Hot Chocolate & Cookies Sleigh Ride
Passengers take a 15- to 20-minute sleigh ride through beautiful Colorado country. During the sleigh ride, you'll have the experience of stopping at an old-time cabin, warming yourself by a fire and eating cookies while drinking hot chocolate. You will need to contact them at 970-231- 1955 to set up a time for your sleigh ride.
Winter Horseback Riding
Experience winter horseback riding while viewing the breathtaking beauty of the surrounding 840 acres where Beaver Meadows Ranch makes its home. You'll be guided on a tour by one of the expert wranglers (牧马人) when the weather permits. One-hour rides cost $35 per person and two-hour rides cost $50. For more information, contact them at 866-881-7679 to set up your horseback riding winter activity.
Other Winter Activities Information
For more information about Beaver Meadows Ranch, or if you'd like to book a room for an adventurous holiday, call 970-881-2450. It's not very often you can find a one-stop adventure spot full of winter activities. Take advantage of your free time this winter season and enjoy the outdoor scenery in Colorado.
In 1990, Hal Donaldson was 23 years old, fresh out of college and found himself in Calcutta, India, where he was asked to interview Mother Teresa.
Donaldson says about the great woman famed for feeding the hungry, "She wasn't wearing shoes and her ankles were swollen. She sat down with me and was very polite. "After the interview, Mother Teresa asked him,"What are you doing to help the poor?" Donaldson admitted that he was young and wasn't focused on helping others. With a smile on her face, Mother Teresa said,"Everyone can do something."
Those words deeply struck Donaldson and forced him to face hard truths about himself.
Hal Donaldson grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. When he was 12 years old, his parents were hit by a drunk driver; his father died, and his mother was seriously injured. To make ends meet, they went on welfare.Donaldson says,"I had holes in my shoes and clothes. When you're teased at school for that, you just want to escape."
He managed to do just that. Donaldson got into college and turned his focus to making
money for himself. He says."I was just trying to find my way out of insignificance. However, it's easy to overlook others along the way. I was the guy that would see a homeless person and cross the street, so I didn't have to confront(面对) him. My focus was on climbing to the top instead of helping those trying to climb with me.
Donaldson returned home from India with a different thought. He traveled to eight cities in America and stayed on the streets and listened to stories of the homeless."My heart broke," he says."I knew I could no longer just live for myself. "
Inspired by Mother Teresa's words and the stories he 'd heard across America, Donaldson loaded a pick up truck with $300 worth of groceries and handed them out to anyone who needed help. In 1994. Donaldson created the nonprofit organization, Convoy for Hope, which works with communities across America and around the world. Their work focuses on feeding children, women's empowerment, helping farmers and disaster services.
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It's bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.
A new study has found that a child's reading speed can be improved by simply increasing the space between letters within a piece of text. The research, led by Dr Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), examined the benefits of letter spacing and coloured overlays (颜色标注) among children.
Two groups of children, dyslexic (有阅读障碍的) and non-dyslexic children, were asked to read four texts with either standard or extra-large letter spacing, both with and without a coloured overlay. They were instructed to read the text out loud while being recorded. The recording was used to measure the number of errors they made — specifically missed words, added words, wrong words, and pronunciation — as well as the participants ' reading time.
The study discovered that text with increased space between letters provided a benefit for both groups. On average, the dyslexia group showed a 13% rise in reading speed, while the group of non-dyslexic children showed a 5% rise. In addition to improving reading speed, it also resulted in a significant decline in the number of words missed by the children with dyslexia. However, the study found that coloured overlays had no significant impact on reading speed or the reduction of errors for either group.
Dr Stagg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at ARU, said, "We believe extra-large letter spacing works by reducing what is known as the 'crowding effect'( 拥挤效应), which can hamper the recognition of letters and reduce reading speed."
"Our findings strongly suggest that teachers can be confident that all children would be helped by increased letter spacing in reading materials." Dr Stagg added. While we found that coloured overlays provided little benefit, we suggest children should be encouraged to use overlays if they find these help their reading. Coloured overlays may not increase reading speeds, but they may extend reading stamina ( 持 久 力). Previous research suggests their benefits may not become apparent if reading time is less than 10 minutes and the short reading duration of the tests in our study may have put coloured overlays at a disadvantage(劣 势）.
Tips for Keeping Awake in Class
If you want to keep awake during class, sleep the night before your class. Students who doze(打瞌睡)in class often missed sleep the night before. Getting enough sleep is your first line of defense when it comes to staying awake in class. For most people, eight hours of sleep is enough to get through the day, but your body may require more.
This will train your body to know when it needs to be asleep and when it is time to wake up. Allow yourself time to relax before heading to bed by putting away your phone, homework, and other things that keep your mind active. Getting enough high-quality sleep can help you.
Another way is to take a shower before class. The warm water from your shower raises your body temperature. This also increases your heart rate so your blood travels around your body faster. Finally, it helps deliver oxygen to your important organs so your body can work at the best level of efficiency.
When your body is exposed to cold water, your blood will flow at a higher pressure, meaning that your circulation(循环)is even further increased. The cold water will also help wake you up because it will shock your body, forcing you to breathe more deeply. And thus you will be more mentally sharp.
A. Having a warm meal also works. B. This will increase your oxygen intake. C. Read your favourite books before sleep. D. This helps you feel refreshed and awakens your senses. E. For some extra energy, finish your shower with cold water. F. Make sure to get enough sleep if you have a class the next day. G. Keep a regular sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time each night. |
Mr. Wu is an English teacher. Last Monday at the beginning of class, he1 asked his students how their weekends had been. One girl said that she had spent a2 weekend—she had her wisdom teeth pulled out and they still hurt. "Why do you always seem to be so happy, Mr. Wu?" she asked.
The girl's3 reminded Mr. Wu of something he had read somewhere before. "Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to get close to life that day," Mr. Wu said with a smile. "I4 to be cheerful."
"And today is my lucky day," he added.
"5 ?" The whole class were curious.
"This morning, I6 to school as usual. I only had to go another kilometer down the road when my e-bike broke down..."
"Your e-bike broke down and it's your lucky day?" The students were7 . "What do you mean, Mr. Wu?"
"My e-bike broke down a quarter before class, so I8 it on the roadside, took my books, and walked down the road. It took me ten minutes to arrive at the9 . I live eight kilometers away. My e-bike could have broken down10 along the way. But it didn't.11 , it broke down in the perfect place-off the main road, within walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class12 I'll be able to get it repaired after class. If my e-bike must break down13 , it couldn't be arranged（安排）in a better way."
The students ' eyes opened wide, and then they smiled. Mr. Wu smiled back. Somehow, his story had14 them. He was happy that they had a perfect chance to consider15 in a new way.
Dressed in long robes, a crowd of young people wanders around royal gardens, with their flowing sleeves (衣袖) (gentle) waving in the breeze. They are not actors nor
actresses in a movie set, but Hanfu fans in a themed event held in Beijing.
"Over a decade ago, Hanfu fashion was a subculture, but relevant (activity) often draw thousands of participants these days," said Liu Xiang, an organizer of the event.
Hanfu, was a traditional style of clothing (wear) by the Han people, nowadays enjoys a growing (popular) among young Chinese people, including Liu. Liu is a co-founder of a Hanfu community in Beijing. This community (found) in 2011 following a Hanfu revival (复兴) movement that emerged from growing cultural confidence and the desire (express) national identity. Since then, Liu has
been volunteering to support the group.
"My passion Hanfu came from two of my friends who love traditional Chinese clothing," Liu said. Her interest grew as she learned more about culture behind it and acquired her first Hanfu costume. Currently, more and more young people wear the adjusted Hanfu with the belief the best way to preserve tradition is to adapt it to modern life.
注意：1.词数 80 左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
Yours,
Li Hua
